All Is Fair in Love

The chilled-out R&B cup shall runneth over Sunday at The Fillmore, ground zero for the Miami leg of the Art of Love tour, featuring Billboard darlings Raheem DeVaughn and Chrisette Michele. DeVaughn might have the hotter hand at the moment (the single “Customer” from his 2008 album Love Behind the Melody is just now coming down from a high of number 12 on the R&B chart), but Def Jam artist Michele is still reaping plenty of benefits from her 2007 debut disc, I Am.

Heads first turned her way in 2006, when Jay-Z recruited her to sing the hook on “Lost One” from his comeback album Kingdom Come. Her classy, jazzy tones comprised arguably the most notable feminine touch to a rap song since Dido’s turn on Eminem’s “Stan,” and so it came as no surprise when she was picked up by Def Jam as a solo act. Smothered in five-star reviews, I Am is lumbering toward the half-million mark in sales, and along the way her voice has inspired critical comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Nina Simone. Michele’s performance Sunday is sponsored by haircare brand Mizani, as she aids the company's fundraising efforts with Hairdressers Unlocking Hope, a volunteer organization working with Habitat for Humanity to build affordable housing. You can bear witness to the art of love at 8 p.m.
Sun., June 22, 2008